A small group joined us for this walk along the historic Tanfield Railway and through Hedley Hall Wood.
The start
We met at the Causey Arch Car Park before heading through the woodland to Causey Arch itself. There are lots of bridges on this section of the walk, plenty of opportunities for our group photographs.
Causey Arch
Our walk took us to the base of Causey Arch, which is the oldest surviving single arch railway bridge in the world. It was completed in 1726, when it carried a horse drawn wagonway. The path took us up the side (by many steps) of Causey Gill, to the end of the Arch. The view from the top of the Arch is stunning and we looked to the bridge at the bottom of the steps to the Arch where we took a group photo.
East Tanfield Station
We walked through the woodland to East Tanfield Station, unfortunately it was closed. This is the start of the current railway. Trains run throughout the year with special events. The seats can be uncomfortable though.
After visiting East Tanfield Station we retraced some of our steps back along the path by the railway. We crossed a bridge over the Causey Burn. A little way along the path, we turned away from the railway an walked through the fields over Oxpasture Hill, towards Causey Hall Farm. This was the site of the first stile of our walk.
Beamish Hall and Beamish Burn
We crossed the road and followed a path behind the farm, down into the valley and over the Causey Burn. The path continued up to Red Row and then along a very scenic route down towards Beamish Hall.
We walked alongside the Beamish Burn, which is just the Causey Burn but with a different name. It is a lovely place, with lots of small waterfalls, trees and wildlife. We will follow the Beamish Burn up to Beamish Mill before turning into the Ousbrough Wood.
Hedley Hall Wood
Hedley Hall Wood is a beautiful mixture of ancient woodland and newly planted woodland. There were many “pointless” stiles throughout the wood as well as willow statues.
Andrew’s House to Causey Arch
The final stretch of our walk takes us from Andrew’s House (the main station on the Tanfield Railway). We passed through Andrew’s House and continued over fields, until we meet the Causey Burn again.
We counted 8 (not including the pointless) stiles on this walk.
We finished our walk up a small section of road before ending up at the car park. After the cool down we all visited the Causey Arch Tearoom.
Hope you all enjoyed the walk. See you next time.
Julie and Martin x
If you enjoyed the Tanfield Railway and Hedley Hall Wood walk, why not take a look at our other walks.
Gallery – Tanfield Railway and Hedley Hall Wood
